


I Love Your Precious Heart

by Wyrd_Syster



Series: Two Worlds Collided [4]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst, Eudora is dating a new man, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fight Scene, let's see if this works for her
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-13
Packaged: 2020-01-07 02:49:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18401612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wyrd_Syster/pseuds/Wyrd_Syster
Summary: Suresh--the man she had been seeing from the district attorney’s office for about five months now--liked Eudora because he thought she was sweet. He thought she was sweet and big-hearted and yes, all of those things were true to a varying degree, but no one had actually laid them out like that for her before.No, people usually thought Eudora was cold, overly-ambitious, that she had some anger management problems. All of those were true. The crueler critics also thought she was an upstart, that she had cheated her way to good fortune, and that she was a bitch.So given the options, she kind of liked how she looked from Suresh’s point of view..OR.Eudora tries to get over Diego by dating someone else. It doesn't work out as planned.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This ended up being over 10k of relationship drama, shoot-outs, sex, and breakups so I had to split it into two.

Suresh--the man she had been seeing from the district attorney’s office for about five months now--liked Eudora because he thought she was sweet. He thought she was sweet and big-hearted and yes, all of those things were true to a varying degree, but no one had actually laid them out like that for her before. No one had ever looked her in the eye and said, “I think you’re sweet. Would you like to get dinner?”

No, people usually thought Eudora was cold, overly-ambitious, that she had some anger management problems. All of those were true. The crueler critics also thought she was an upstart, that she had cheated her way to good fortune, and that she was a bitch.

So given the options, she kind of liked how she looked from Suresh’s point of view.

She also liked that he was  _ Suresh _ . Not Suri, not Sam or some other white equivalent name or any other shorthand. Just Suresh. Suresh Bhatt, esquire, district attorney. It felt so adult and that was exactly the sort of relationship Eudora wanted for herself.

He early twenties were a chapter in her life she was neatly boxing away as the “Unfortunately, Diego: Chronicles.” After a lifetime of straight A’s, perfect attendance, perfect boyfriends, and perfect track records she had jumped off the rails into the arms of a vigilante man-child with a lifetime’s worth of emotional baggage and a temper to match. She was acting out, which was only natural.

But, acting out was for your early twenties. She was in her late twenties, time to grow up. She needed to stop giving the time of day (and night) to men like Diego who broke her heart in a million tiny pieces and ignored the damage they caused. Time for serious relationships with serious men, men like Suresh.

Although, truth be told, sometimes his seriousness grated on her. Eudora was not typically one for upsetting protocol, but even Suresh’s strict adherence to it drove her nuts. It came across as condescending and uncaring, which is what she thought he was when she first met him. 

Not that it had been a particularly good first introduction. She’d stormed into his office, furious about what she had just been told about a young woman that had been arrested earlier that evening. She hadn’t even bothered to knock--just located his office and barged right in.

“You’re holding Jenessa Lewis on a $50,000 bail?” She had yelled.

Suresh had been on the phone. “Kyle, I’ll have to call you back,” he had said into the receiver. He was tall, much taller than Eudora, darker too, with black hair and big, dark eyes. His suit looked well-worn and clean, which contrasted sharply with the piles of loose paper and debris covering his desk

He might have had a nice face, Eudora thought, if he wasn’t staring at her like a snarling animal pouncing for attack. 

“Let me guess, you’re her sister?” He asked.

“Wrong. Arresting officer,” Eudora crossed her arms, leveling the man ahead of her with a glare, trying not to be offended. She was in her plainclothes, afterall, her badge clipped to her waist. He probably didn’t mean anything by that comment, but it made her bristle all the same.

He, in turn, quirked an eyebrow. “As the arresting officer, I figured you’d be happy to hear she’s being held while we figure out what to do with her. Justice being served, and all that.”

“Janessa did not instigate that fight,” Eudora snapped. “She jumped in to protect the other girl, who I notice was  _ not _ formally charged with instigation and I didn’t see her in holding just now. Must have already been released?”

“Miss Devereux was highly intoxicated, but she did not throw any punches,” Suresh said, pulling up the case file on his computer, examining the details. “From the report  _ you _ , Officer...er...Patch, gave at the scene, it looks like the physical altercation was only between Miss Janessa Lewis and a Miss Kendra Reynolds.”

“That Reynolds girl came at the blonde and Janessa jumped in to protect her,” Eudora pointed out. “We should be thanking her for protecting that girl, not locking her up in a cell.”

“Officer Patch,  _ you _ arrested her.”

“Right, because it’s protocol. But any attorney worth a damn would look at this report and see that there is no case against Janessa, which I spelled out for any moron to see. The only reason she is still in holding is because your office is taking its sweet-ass time trying to decide whether to charge her or not!

“Officer Patch, this is the district attorney’s office,” Suresh said slowly. “We are overworked, understaffed, and most of us respond poorly to being yelled unexpectedly. Now, Miss Lewis’ case is processing, and she is not the only one who was arrested tonight.” He quickly scanned his screen again, then sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “Look, between you and me, I agree, there’s no actual case here. Reynolds isn’t going to press charges, and even if she did, she doesn’t have a leg to stand on. Lewis should be out of here in forty-eight hours, tops.”

“You don’t get it!” Eudora said. “That’s the problem, there is no case and Janessa doesn’t  _ have  _ forty-eight hours. She has a kid at home! You want to leave a young kid without his mom for two days while you work through your red-tape bullshit?”

“If she is that desperate she could always contact a bail bondsman to supply the loan,” Suresh said.

Eudora snorted. “Right, because Janessa has $5,000 lying around to pay to some bail shark.”

That seemed to knock Suresh down a peg. He looked almost ashamed for his blithe remark, and he sank into his chair, nodding. “When you leave here, Officer Patch, please let Elizabeth at the front desk know to leave the spare key for me. It looks like I’ll be here for a while longer.”

“Really? You’re going to help Janessa?”

“What can I say, you’re very convincing,” Suresh grumbled. “Ever think about being a lawyer? You’d be hard to beat in court.”

Despite herself, Eudora laughed, feeling some of the tension lifting off her shoulders. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You should, I meant it as one,” Suresh gave her a tired looking grin, and Eudora noted he had a very nice smile.

“You know,” he continued after a moment. “I’m a little surprised by you. Most officers only care about arrest numbers, not what happens when an arrestee gets booked.”

“Yeah, well, maybe that’s what’s wrong with the system,” Eudora said. “None of this ever happens in a vacuum. People generally want to do the right thing, they usually think they  _ are _ doing the right thing. We should be helping people who want to do good, not punishing them.

Suresh looked at her, thoughtfully. “That may be the most optimistic outlook on criminal justice I have ever heard,” he chuckled. “It’s very sweet, actually.”

“Thank you...I guess?”

“No, no, hold on I didn’t mean it as an insult!” He said. “I just meant, it’s refreshing! And sweet. Refreshingly sweet! I guess, what I mean to say is, uh,” he groaned and put his head and his hands. Eudora couldn’t help but laugh a little.

“Officer Patch, when I’m through getting Miss Lewis out of holding and back home, would you maybe want to consider possibly having dinner with me? Tomorrow?”

“No,” she said, grinning widely at his crestfallen face. “But you can pick me up on Friday. Seven PM, sharp.”

Suresh met her grin, and it made her feel light. “It’s a date.”

\----

She and Suresh had very different opinions about law and order, that was clear from their first date. He was--as Eudora figured most lawyers were--a letter-of-the-law sort of man. He saw plaintiffs and defendants, not people.

Eudora, due to her early twenties Chronicles with He-She-Would-Not-Be-Thinking-About, couldn’t help but look past the lines and regulations and see who the system was hurting, how she could help. 

She wondered if she could get Suresh to see things from her point-of-view, but she realized he probably just saw her as young and idealistic. And that was annoying.

Still, dating him wasn’t without its perks. Suresh, a few years older than her (“a distinguished gentleman,” he had laughed when she found a grey hair on his head) wasn’t worried about spending a little extra money on things he deemed important. Things like good food, good whiskey, good seats at the symphony. Eudora liked being on his arm for these dates, it made her feel like she too had good tastes.

Suresh was whip-smart and had a decent sense of humor. Eudora had never been with a man who told jokes just to make himself laugh, and she found herself laughing along with him. He even cracked jokes during sex, which was new.

But besides that little caveat, sex with Suresh was good, passionate even. She liked it immensely and tried very hard not to compare it to her last relationship because really, who was that being fair to?

By far, the best thing about Suresh was how much he supported her career. He bragged to his coworkers that he was dating the “Soon-To-Be-Youngest Detective In The District,” and helped her study for her placement exam. 

He took her to meet his parents, who were lovely and cooked a veritable banquet for the four of them. Eudora liked that they were doting, liked that he had no siblings to compete with. She liked that he brought her into his family home and shared his story, laughing alongside her when his mom showed her some of his more embarrassing baby pictures. 

Eudora even went out of her way to introduce Suresh to her family. Her younger sisters, Ashley and Ruth, were infatuated with him, asking him all sorts of questions about his legal career, his time in college, and some of his gristlier cases. Her father laughed loudly at all his jokes, and even her mother had a smile or two for him. They were both so pleased she had brought someone home to meet them, he was  _ so  _ nice to her, they made  _ such _ an attractive couple, and  _ when  _ could they finally expect some grandkids?

So, generally, things between them were good. They were good and they were easy and mature. And Eudora didn’t know what was wrong with her that she wasn’t happy.

\---

“Can I ask you something?”

Eudora was strewn over Suresh’s couch, her head on the armrest and her feet cradled in his lap. She had been trying to read a book he had suggested, but the pace was slow and the main character was whiny. The apartment was quiet, save for the occasional turning of a page and the gentle clicking of a keyboard. The quiet and the lackluster novel let Eudora’s mind wander, and it had navigated to dangerous territory.

“Shoot,” Suresh said. With one hand he was gently stroking her ankle, the other was scrolling through a case report open on this laptop, not looking over at her as she spoke. 

“You’re not paying attention,” Eudora sighed, picking up her book and thumbing through it.

“No, I am,” Suresh said. The blue-white screen reflected off his glasses, so it was difficult for Eudora to see his eyes, and she wasn’t exactly sure if he was actually listening to her.

Still….

“How many people have you said ‘I love you’ to?”

That got his attention. He pushed his glasses to the top of his head and rubbed a hand over his eyes. “Uh, you got something to tell me there, Patch?”

“No,” she laughed, kicking at him lightly. “Don’t be dumb. I was just...just wondering.”

“Hmm,” He looked at her thoughtfully, closing his laptop and twisting closer to Eudora. He stroked her feet with both hands, his touch grounding her, letting her know she hadn’t gone too far. “What are the parameters here? Does family count?”

“No, I mean like, romantic partners.”

“Okay then, well three.”

“Three,” Eudora mulled over his response. Three seemed like a respectful number. “Did you say it first or did they?”

“My high school girlfriend said it to me first,” said Suresh. “But the other two times it was me.”

“But you said it back to your high school girlfriend I assume?” Eudora asked. “Did you mean it?”

“I meant it every time I said it,” Suresh said. “Though I think with Emmy--my high school girlfriend--I don’t think I understood what it meant to be in love, not really.”

“Do you regret saying it then?”

“A little,” Suresh admitted. “It made breaking-up much harder. But, I guess that’s to be expected with young love.”

“What about the other two?” Eudora asked, sitting up a little straighter. “Do you regret those?”

Suresh grinned, his eyes a thousand miles away. “Not a chance,” he sighed. 

Eudora chewed her lip, desperately trying to keep her thoughts on the man in front of her and not the one in her head. “If you loved them how come you couldn’t make it work?”

A worried look flashed across Suresh’s eyes. “Where’s this coming from, Eudora? Is everything okay?”

She groaned and sat up, disentangling her feet from his lap. “I’m fine, it’s nothing. I was just curious is all.”

“Have you ever said it to someone?” Suresh asked in a way that made it clear he had already guessed the answer.

“It’s complicated,” Eudora said, not meeting his eyes. “He...well he said it first, but I didn’t get a chance to say it back. And when I tried he told me to leave.” She shrugged, feeling her face flushing, embarrassed to hear the story said out loud. “Guess it wasn’t that complicated, actually.”

“Sounds like a jerk,” Suresh said, harshly.

Eudora winced at his tone. It was true, really, but to hear it out loud…

“Maybe not a total jerk,” Suresh amended quickly, seeing the hurt on Eudora’s face. “Obviously not a total jerk if you had feelings for him. But anyone who could ever treat you like that obviously can’t be good news.” He was quiet for a moment, assessing. Then, “Do you think he meant it?”

“I don’t know,” Eudora said, honestly. “And now, looking back, I’m not so sure I would’ve meant it if I had had the chance to say it.”

Suresh touched her cheek softly, turning her to face him. His face was open and kind. “Eudora Patch, you are the sweetest woman I know. You deserve someone who treats you with honesty, who is worthy of your heart.”

Him. The implication was clear--Suresh thought himself honest, thought himself worthy. And while Eudora had to privately agree with his assessment, it was the fact that he didn’t say it out loud that made her melt a little into him. She loved him just a little for his trepidation.

She turned and kissed his palm. “Thank you,” she whispered.

He leaned forward and kiss her softly. His mouth was warm, and the feeling of him enveloping her overwhelmed her rushing thoughts.

She needed to be past the point of caring about Diego Hargreeves. He was a “what if,” a past “maybe” who would torment her present if she let him. And she couldn’t give him that sort of power over her, not when he wasn’t even here.

So, she leaned into Suresh, welcoming his kisses. She wrapped her arms around his neck and focused on being  _ here _ with  _ him _ .

And she was nearly successful.

\---

Suresh was so proud of her when she finally made detective, you would have thought he had been promoted. It was nice to have someone completely  _ gush _ over her success in a way she really couldn’t without seeming full of herself.

It was even nicer when he called her at work, telling her he’d made reservations for the two of them at a fancy restaurant downtown for the following Friday.

“How did you possibly swing that?” Eudora laughed into the phone when Suresh told her. “There’s no way that place just  _ happened _ to have an open reservation for Friday, unless you booked this months in advance?”

“No forethought required, all luck,” Suresh said. “A little something to look forward to. I know you need it.”

Did she ever. As much as Eudora would’ve loved to spend every waking moment basking in the glory of her promotion, crime kept getting in the way. 

Her first official case was a headache wrapped in a thick, manila envelope. A missing shipment of cocaine reported by a CI, an assassination attempt gone wrong, a vengeful mob moss and a missing suspect.

“Sounds like an Oscar-winning script,” Beeman grumbled. 

Eudora had to agree that it would make a compelling movie. But, as a detective on this case, it was driving her up the wall. Too many dead ends, too many dead leads. There only hope of putting everything in order was to find the thief, their missing suspect. But he had vanished. And so too was everyone’s patience with this blockbuster case.

By Friday night, Eudora was so frustrated with the case she almost called Suresh to cancel. But Beeman insisted she deserved a night off and had all but pushed her out the precinct doors.

\---

Hours later, Eudora could feel her shoulder loosening as she started to really enjoy her evening.

Annoyed and stressed, she had gone home only to pull on the conservative, navy blue dress she had planned on wearing that evening and immediately stripping. She felt like she was vibrating with frustration, and the blue dress sat uncomfortably on her shoulders, swaddling her in the worst ways, making her feel trapped.

She instead pulled out the perfect dress. The one she Kept-Meaning-To-Donate because when would she ever wear it? An indulgent purchase she had never intended on donning, but tonight, it felt just right.  

It was little more than a negligee, truth be told. A form fitting black black bodice with a plunging sweetheart neckline, thin straps and a skirt that just barely brushed the top of her stocking-shimmering thighs. She wore no jewelry and let her long hair loose, feeling almost wild. She never let so much of her bare skin on display, and it made her feel invincible, as striking as a fury.

The looks of praise she had received for her ensemble only added to that feeling. Suresh had visibly swallowed when he picked her up, his face flushing and struggling to keep his eyes away from her very visible cleavage. Eudora, not one to usually care about her looks, felt deeply smug about her affect on him.

When they arrived at the restaurant, all eyes turned to her, and she felt something in her almost  _ purr _ at the attention. She was strong, she was important, she was deserving, and she kept her head high as the  maître d'hôtel led her and Suresh to their table.

“You’re really turning heads tonight,” Suresh mumbled as they sat. He looked a little uncomfortable, a little sheepish in her presence.

“Good, that was the plan,” Eudora said smoothly, flushing with pride.

Suresh looked unhappy, but he let the subject drop.

The restaurant was beautiful, from the centerpieces of delicate, fresh flowers to the beatific, smiling faces of the waitstaff. The noise from neighboring tables never rose above pleasant ambiance, and all the linens were perfectly pressed and perfectly white.

It was nice. It was a nice restaurant with her nice boyfriend with whom she was having a nice time. And through glasses of deep red claret, Eudora kept glancing glimpses of a life she could have, one where this was a common occurrence, not just a celebration. She could be this woman in the gorgeous dress at the fancy restaurant with the attractive, successful boyfriend, glowing because she belonged here, she had earned it.

All she had to do to obtain this was silence the little voice in her mind that told her she wasn’t supposed to be here, that she was a wolf amongst sheep. That to truly belong she’d have to sand down her edges past the point of recognition and don the title of “sweet” that Suresh had ascribed her. And she could try, she had been trying, but how long could she keep that up?

Unfortunately, Eudora was rudely snapped from her reverie when an object collided with boyfriend and roughly pushed him further into the booth.

Suresh’s cry of indignation shocked Eudora to reality, but it was not as shocking as the sight before here; Diego Hargreeves in the uniform of a line cook, grinning from ear-to-ear. 

“Aw babe, you didn’t have to dress up for me,” He said, his eyes shining. 

“Excuse me, what the hell do you think you’re doing--” Suresh started to sputter when Eudora cut him off.

“I swear to god if you are  _ stalking me now, _ Hargreeves, I am going to shoot you,” she snapped. 

She could feel anger roiling in her stomach, but something else was making her heartbeat dance across her chest. She hadn’t seen Diego in months, not even at a crime scene. And now here he was across from her, his jaw sharply angled with a healthy dusting of scruff, his cheeks hollower, a long scar stretching across the side of his head, highlighted by his haircut. And still, his lovely, dark eyes which she hated and loved just a little, glued intensely on her face. 

Diego raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I’m ‘Hargreeves’ again, am I?” he shrugged. “Fine, well, don’t flatter yourself there,  _ Patch,  _ no shooting necessary. I happen to work here.”

Eudora snorted. “Right. Even if I believed that, I don’t think a place like this would let a fry cook out onto the floor to interrupt his ex-girlfriend.”

“ _ This _ is your ex?” Suresh asked, looking between the two, horrified.

Diego ignored him. “Doesn’t matter what they will and won’t allow. I’m quitting tonight, so no big deal. What  _ is _ a big deal is that you accepted my invitation for tonight’s takedown.”

Eudora felt like she was falling two steps behind, not a place where she wanted to be. It made her angry and she briefly considered emptying the contents of her wine glass over Diego’s pompous, scarred head, but then decided she didn’t want the unnecessary attention.

“She accepted  _ my _ invitation for dinner,” Suresh said, hotly. 

Diego looked over at Suresh as if finally realizing he was sitting there. “You must be the new boyfriend, Suresh, right? Courtroom lackey?” 

“District attorney,” Suresh said, his face contorting at the slight.

Diego grinned at Eudora, his face openly mocking.  _ Can you believe this guy _ ? He seemed to be communicating to her, like they had a secret language, like they were close enough to share looks like this. Which they weren’t, not anymore.

“Yes, he is my boyfriend and yes,  _ he _ invited me here tonight, Hargreeves,  _ not _ you, so why don’t you tell me what the hell--”

“Yeah, but how did you get perfect reservations at the most exclusive restaurant downtown?” Diego cut her off, turning to Suresh. “You didn’t tell her you just happened to win this reservation from an office lottery you don’t remember entering?”

Eudora gaped at Suresh, who was turning red and looking anywhere but at her. “You could have told me, you know.”

“I...I know that now,” Suresh said, haltingly, still not looking at Eudora. “I just thought that it would seem, er, more thoughtful if it looked like I had planned this outright rather than--”

“A fucking set-up,” Eudora groaned, sinking back into her seat. “Great. Really wonderful.” Then, to Diego, “Well, you have me here Hargreeves, what do you want?”

He beamed. “What if I told you I don’t actually work here?”

“I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised.”

“I mean, I am working here. For now. But undercover,” he amended quickly. “Turns out, I have spectacularly interesting colleagues. Like Johnny Reyes for example, he’s a good one.”

“Never heard of him,” Eudora said, crossing her arms. “Look, if this is just some stupid ruse to trick me into--”

“I would never trick you, Officer Patch,” Diego mocked.

“It’s actually  _ Detective _ Patch,” Suresh shot in, speaking before Eudora could open her mouth.

Diego’s shining eyes appraised her in a new light. “Detective, huh? It’s about time.” He leaned in closer, voice dropping. “Well,  _ Detective _ , I am sure you probably aren’t familiar with the infamous exploits of Johnny Reyes because he has no record. No criminal record, no family record, no personal history to speak of at all.”   
  
“And why is that?”

“Because Johnny Reyes is a cover,” Diego said. “An identity carefully crafted by some of the mob Family Way’s best slicers to hide someone in plain sight.”

“And who,” Eudora asked, pulse starting to quicken. “would be important enough for the Way Family to hide like that?”

Diego’s smile stretched from ear-to-ear, twisting the scar on his head. “Why, Davis Malone, of course.”

Her breath caught in her throat. Davis Malone. The thief who had made out with a whole shipment of cocaine right from under his boss’ nose, the one who Boss Toro tried to have assassinated and failed. Her missing suspect.

“He stole the shipment for the Way Family, not for his own gain,” she breathed, realization dawning, pieces connecting. “And they hid him out here in return?”

“You got it,” he said. From beneath the table, Diego produced a small bag. “I’ve collected notes, financials, and even got an audio recording, all proving that Reyes is actually Malone and that Malone is responsible for your department’s current headache. All I need now is some help catching him.”

“What, you mean he’s here tonight?” Eudora asked, starting to get excited. “And why do you need me?”

“Well, first, he has backup. At least one guy working in the kitchen is his muscle, but I think there might be more, so I’ll need some help there,” Diego said, shrugging. “Also, too many dirty cops in your squad, Patch, I can’t just get him and leave him lying around for anyone to pick him up. I trust you to not let him escape and to not kill him before he talks.”

“I appreciate the boost of confidence in my colleagues, Hargreeves, but I’m off-duty tonight. No gun, no badge.”

“Have a little faith in me, will you Patch?” Diego asked. From the bag he pulled out a badge--obviously fake but very convincing--and...

“ _ Is that my gun?” _ Eudora hissed. 

Diego’s grin had taken a definite shit-eating quality. “You really need to change your locks.”

Eudora couldn’t decide if she was shaking with rage or excitement. She reached for her gun and checked. Fully loaded. “And he’s here tonight?”

“Food prep,” Diego said. “Can’t miss him. Big ugly redhead with a patchy beard.” He exited the booth, turned and gestured for Eudora. “Well?”

She was half way out of the booth with Suresh stopped her. “Eudora, please, you can’t do this,” he said hurriedly.

Eudora raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I can’t?”

“You’re off-duty, that’s not your badge,” Suresh said, voice pained. “You’re skating the line of the law, here. You know your man is here, call whoever is on duty to take care of this.”

He was right, that was protocol. Still, the prospect of catching Malone now, the prospect of being the one who got to bring him in was too tempting to pass up.

“Diego’s been out here talking to us for ten minutes now,” Eudora pointed out. “Someone’s bound to have noticed, and word will get back to Malone. If I wait for anyone who could get paranoid and split.”

“Eudora, please, I’m serious, you could get in real trouble, you could get demoted or even fired for causing a scene like this,” Suresh pleaded.

She felt the fire that had been building in her all evening flare and spill over. “No, Suresh,  _ I’m _ being serious. This is my job. I am not just going to sit back and hope someone else does the dirty work for me.” She glowered at him. “And it’s not causing a scene, this is  _ official police work _ .”

“In a revealing dress holding a gun?” Suresh scoffed. “You look like a bad action-movie wet dream. It’ll be embarrassing for your department.”

“No, what’s embarrassing is continuing to waste my time having the conversation with you,” Eudora huffed. She turned to Diego. “You ready?”

“After you, Detective,” Diego said with a smirk.

Ignoring Suresh’s look of indignation, Eudora turned and stalked away from the table, leaving behind her a half-finished meal, a shattered relationship that could have been perfect, and every carefully laid dream of her future, staining and dripping over the scene like her spilled wine.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Where are you going now?” Diego asked. 
> 
> “Home,” Eudora said softly.
> 
> “Alone?” 
> 
> He could’ve meant Suresh, he should have meant Suresh. But she knew he didn’t. 
> 
> Adrenaline was still ruling her brain. “No,” she whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has everything. Fight scenes, sex scenes, angst, MOM? (okay, no Mom, but you get the picture). 
> 
> Shout-out to SoulOfEvil for being a true mensch. Thanks friend!

“He was right, you know, this is some get-up, Patch,” Diego said to her. They were standing in a service hallway, quickly formulating a plan of attack. Eudora through the kitchen, Diego through the back alley, meet in the middle and hope there are no surprises.

She rolled her eyes. “Shut up, Hargreeves.”

“No, I really mean it.”

She looked up at him. He was half in shadows, but she could still make out the particular shine of his dark eyes.

“You want to focus on the case at hand or focus on my dress?” She hissed.

“I can’t do both?” He pushed his tongue into his cheek, stepping closer. “Gorgeous woman in a beautiful dress holding a gun? A lot of my fantasies coming true at once, here.”

Eudora didn’t budge. “Go around back. At five after, I’ll come through the kitchen, you come around from the alley.”

Diego nodded, his eyes intent on her face. “See you on the other side, Patch,” he murmured before turning and disappearing around the corner.

She took a deep breath, leaning against the wall, counting.

 _One...two...three…_ she really shouldn’t have yelled at Suresh like that, he didn’t do anything wrong... _four...five...six..._ she couldn’t believe Diego had ruined her night like this, this was so typical... _seven...eight..._ but god did he look good, she had forgotten how good he looked... _nine..._ and he looked at her like she was special... _ten...eleven..._ Suresh had looked at her tonight like she had embarrassed him... _twelve..._ Diego looked at her like he loved her...

Eudora pushed off the wall, cursing her wayward mind. Angry and impatient, she burst through the kitchen door and started scouring the scene for Malone. It was a flutter of activity, fires bursting from the burners, waiters running to-and-fro, chefs shouting orders. The air smelled like dripping fats and garlic, and the press of working bodies gave Eudora pause, a trickle of doubt settling in her stomach. If this went bad, it was going to go bad quick.

Turning a corner to the prep station, Eudora found her man. His skin was a milky, blueish-white that only heightened the contrast of the dark shadows beneath his eyes. His red beard was thin and patchy, like he had been yanking on the strands out during moments of high stress. He was inexpertly chopping vegetables, his head down.

She walked as close as she dared, standing behind him, gun raised. “Davis Malone,” She said evenly. He froze mid-chop. “You’re under arrest for--”

He didn’t even give her the chance to finish. Glancing behind him and getting an eyeful of her gun, he twisted to the side, lashing out with his knife. Eudora jumped back just in time, but that gave him the chance to take off running.

“Freeze, asshole!” She shouted, taking off after him.

She wasn’t too worried about catching up, figuring if she didn’t catch him Diego would, when she felt her legs swept out from under her.

“Ugh!” She cried, hitting the floor hard, her gun sliding out of her grip.

Dazed, she looked up just in time to see a gun aimed in her face. Acting on instinct, she rolled to the side, feeling the resounding _BANG_ of the gunshot to her left. Screams filled the air, and she realized dully that Diego had been right about Malone’s backup.

From her position on her side, Eudora kicked out with her sharp heel, gratified to feel the spike make contact with a shin bone, a strangled yelp of pain accompanying.

She scurried to her feet, finally seeing her attacker as a one of the sous chefs from the closest station, a small man with a haggard face. He had staggered back when she had kicked him, his pant leg slowly staining crimson from her heel. She kicked at him again, hard at his right hand holding the gun, knocking it out of his hand and causing it to tumble to the floor.

With a yell, he charged at her, but Eudora was ready, stepping quickly to the side and aiming a fist at his face. He stumbled and fell into the prep table, only to turn back quickly with a sheet pan in hand, swinging wildly at Eudora’s head. She ducked, but not fast enough, catching the corner on her shoulder.

Stumbling, pain lancing through her, Eudora was not quick enough to stop the man from running behind her, wrapping his arms around her, pinning her. “You’re not going anywhere,” he hissed, his breath foul.

Thinking quickly, Eudora dropped her weight to her knees, forcing her attacker--who had been leaning over her--to fall face first. Eudora fumbled for the sheet pan, raising it above her head and crashing it down onto his head, knocking him out.

Blood singing through her vein, Eudora scrambled for her gun and sprang to her feet. She heard yells off to the back, a clang of metal.

“Diego,” she breathed, racing off to the sound.

Turning a corner, she found Diego locked in a fight with Malone and another of his accomplices posing as kitchen staff.

“Nice of you to finally show up, Patch!” Diego yelled, ducking a punch and swinging out with a wicked sharp blade, just missing an arm.

“I was a bit preoccupied!” she shouted.

“Yeah, no shit!” Diego said. “Thanks for sticking to the plan there, really made things easy!”

“Sorry, I was impatient!” Eudora had entered the fray, grabbing Malone by the back of the collar and hauling him backwards. He fell, reaching for her, but she twisted out of his falling grasp. He hit the ground and she kicked him squarely in the head, stepping hard on his chest.

“Don’t you dare fucking move,” she breathed, gun aimed right at his head. “You’re under arrest for--”

“Hold it right there,” said the accomplice. He had somehow gotten ahold of Diego, a hand in his hair forcing his head back, and one of his knives, pressing the shining metal point to his throat. Diego was breathing heavily, his eyes black with rage.

“Now, I’ll tell you how this is going to go,” the man said. “You’re going to let Malone go, and we’re going to leave out this back door, and your man here gets to leave with his throat intact.”

“Oh, that’s how it’s going to go, is it?” Eudora asked. Her mind was racing. She locked eyes with Diego. His jaw was set, but she could read loud and clear the look he was giving her.

“What’s it going to be, lady?” the man asked. “Malone, or your boy--”

She raised her gun, aimed at the face just peeking out from behind Diego’s head, and shot. In one heartbeat there were two men standing before her, the next, only one. Only Diego.

He barely flinched at the sound of the gun, didn’t even look behind him to see where his attacker lay. He only had eyes for Eudora, dark and filled with awe. Eudora could see herself clearly through his gaze--sweaty, a little bruised, a tight black dress, a raised gun. _A bad action movie wet dream_. Only she didn’t feel ridiculous under his gaze. She felt powerful, she felt invincible.

He took a step towards her. “Eudora…”

“There’s another one back there,” she indicated. “I knocked him out, but go tie him up, make sure he can’t get away. I’ll call for backup.”

Diego nodded. “Whatever you say, Detective,” he said quietly, almost reverently. His eyes were on her lips.

Eudora broke eye contact first, kneeling to deal with Malone, who was shaking under her foot. “Please, _please_ don’t let them kill me, I’ll do whatever you want,” he begged quietly, eyes wide and shining with panic. “I’ll tell you whatever you want, I’ll rat on whoever, just please, please keep me safe!”

“What a brave thief you are,” Eudora said gruffly, using an apron string to tie Malone’s hands behind his back. “Davis Malone, you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…”

\---

When she called Beeman to come meet her at the restaurant with backup, he thought she had been joking. When he finally realized she wasn’t, he almost started crying into the phone.

“I’m just,” he choked. “So excited to go home and get some sleep.”

He was at the restaurant in under ten minutes, three police officers accompanying him to take Malone and his accomplice in. A coroner came for the one Eudora had shot.

“This is good, really good Patch,” Beeman said, surveying the scene. “We’ll keep Malone under lock and key tonight, but you’ll probably need to come in tomorrow to help with the interrogation, and I’m sure the captain will want to speak with you.”

“That’s fine,” Eudora said.

“But for now, go home and get some rest. You earned it,” Beeman smiled. “By the way, nice dress.”

Eudora rolled her eyes, but waved goodbye to her partner, stepping back into the dining room.

At the first gunshot from the kitchen, the dining room had been evacuated of all guests and employees, leaving overturned chairs and spilled wine in their wake.

“So much for causing a scene,” she mumbled, taking in the damage.

“See, this is why I prefer knives.” Diego materialized from the shadows on the other side of the dining room. “Less noise, easier to go unnoticed.”

Eudora scoffed but said nothing, drinking in the sight of him. His knives gleamed like silver starlight at his side, his black hair distressed, his face glowing golden with victory, his lovely, dark eyes fixed on her.

“How’s your shoulder?” Diego asked, walking towards her.

She rolled it a few times. It twinged but nothing felt broken. “No lasting damage,” she said.

He nodded, stopping right in front of her. “Where are you going now?” Diego asked.

“Home,” Eudora said softly.

“Alone?”

He could’ve meant Suresh, he _should_ have meant Suresh. But she knew he didn’t. He was close enough now that she could see exactly where the smooth skin of his face raised puckered into white scars above his eye and on the side of his head, could watch the flutter of his long eyelashes.

Adrenaline was still ruling her brain. “No,” she whispered.

Diego smiled.

\---

How they made it out of the restaurant and to her front door without incident was a mystery.

But his hand was warm on her lower back as they walked towards her apartment. She could feel the tension in his arm as held himself back from dipping lower. Every cell in her body was aware of him. Aware of the warmth radiating off of him, the sound of his breathing, the sweat-blood-and-leather smell of _Diego_.

Her hands fumbled with the keys as he pressed closer to her. His breath ghosted the back of her neck, and a shiver went through her core. She unlocked her door as quickly as she could, turning so Diego could walk past her into the apartment. With her back to him, she slowly closed the door, locking it.

Eudora didn’t turn around right away, but could feel Diego walking closer to her. His hands went to her hips, and his fingers tightened around the thick, black fabric. He pressed against her, his front perfectly aligned with her back, and lowered his lips to the exposed juncture of her shoulder.

She gasped as he closed his teeth around her skin, his tongue following the bite to soothe the spot. “ _Dora_ ,” he breathed, nosing up the side of her neck to kiss her jaw.

She spun around in his arms, twisting the fabric around her waist still clutched between his fingers. Hands buried in his hair, her kiss was hard, and he matched her. Pushing her further into the door, his tongue between her lips sent jolts of pleasure through her stomach. She moaned his name, pressing herself against him.

Diego trailed kisses down her neck, hot and wet. She gasped when his lips found the top of her breasts, sucking. He yanked at the thin straps of her dress, pulling down the bodice with it, leaving her bare to his gaze.

He groaned at the sight of her. “ _Shit_. No bra tonight, to Eudora?” He didn’t let her answer, lowering his head and sucked a pert nipple into his mouth.

Eudora cried out, feeling her cunt tighten as Diego bit and licked at her. “God, I love the way you sound,” he whispered into her skin, re-focusing his efforts on her other nipple.

“ _Fuck, Diego_ ,” she whined, grinning wildly at his answering whimper.

She pushed at him, causing him to stumble a few paces. Feeling bold and magnificent under his gaze, Eudora reached behind her and unzipped her dress, letting the fabric pool at her feet, shimmying out of her stockings, leaving her in just her underwear.

His eyes were black with want, his hair mussed from her hands, his lips kiss red. She walked towards him slowly, not breaking eye contact. He looked like a man caught in exactly the way he wanted to be.

Standing toe-to-toe, Eudora pressed her hands lightly to Diego’s sides. Sensing her control from the simple touch, he didn’t move his arms to touch her, but lowered his head to let her kiss him softly. Then, Eudora slipped her hands underneath Diego’s shirt, her fingernails scraping up the rigid line of his abs. She could feel his shiver through her hands and it emboldened her. She gripped the edge of his shirt and pulled it over his head, reveling at the sight of his skin as it was bared before her.

Diego reached down and guided Eudora to loop her arms around his neck. He grasped her thighs and hoisted her up, her legs wrapped around his waist, his bare skin sliding against hers. She could feel his hard cock through his pants, pressing against her.

“Eudora,” he murmured into her mouth, a plea.

She sighed in response, tightening her legs as he began to walk them backwards to her bedroom.

They tumbled into bed together, his weight pushing her deep into her comforter. He reared back suddenly, grasping her underwear and pulling them off in one stroke. She barely had time to process his movements before his head was buried between her thighs.

The first stroke of his tongue against her fizzled through her body like a livewire. She felt molten under his mouth, heat pulsing in her stomach. She cried out when he sucked her clit, twisting his hair in her fingers and pulling hard.

He tormented her with his tongue, his lips, his teeth, bringing her right to the edge and backing off, driving her wild.

“Diego,” she moaned, her heart beating in her throat, sweat covering her brow. “Diego, _please_.”

“ _Oh_ , I love to hear you say my name like that,” he gasped into the skin of her thighs. He kissed her there, sucking a bruise into her skin.

“ _Diego_ ,” she moaned, wantonly pressing herself closer to him.

He grinned, going back to her with renewed focus, pressing his fingers into her, curling them just right so that she felt shockwaves flowing outwards. Her orgasm rushed through her like a gasp of fresh air, curling her toes and throwing her head back in pleasure as she cried out.

“Oh, Dora,” Diego groaned, crawling his way back up her body, showering her skin with kisses. “Fuck I have missed the way you sound, babe.” He kissed her mouth, letting her taste herself. “Missed the way you feel,” he whispered. “Missed the way you taste.”

She grasped his face between her hands, moaning into his mouth. She kicked out loosely, catching his pant leg between her toes. “Too many clothes,” she gasped.

He grinned wolfishly down at her, pulling back off the bed to kick off the rest of his clothes. Eudora watched appreciatively as his bared himself to her, drinking in the sight of his abs bunching as he moved, the ripples of his muscles. Completely naked, hard, and standing back to let her take him all in, Diego Hargreeves was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, and Eudora wanted all of him.

The same want was evident on his face as his eyes in turn roved over her naked body. He pulled out a condom from her bedside table and came back to bed. He kissed her slowly, rolling the condom on, pressing her back into the sheets and positioning himself over her.

She was so wet that his cock slid in her with no resistance, and she gasped at the feel of him.

Diego groaned. “Fuck, you feel so good,” he mumbled into her mouth. He thrust into her, hard, making her cry out again. “So, so good.”

“Stop talking,” Eudora gasped, face flushed. “Just fuck me.”

“I can’t do both?” He punctuated his tease with a hard thrust of his hips. “I think you like it when I talk, Eudora, I think it gets you hot.”

She moaned, twisting away from his mouth, trying to ignore the pleasure rippling through her body that his words caused. “ _Please_ ,” she breathed, trying to bury her face.

He chuckled and pulled out. She was about to complain when he grabbed her hips and guided her over onto her hands and knees. He pushed inside her roughly, her breath gasping out, and he draped himself across her back.

“You like my voice,” Diego whispered as he thrust. “You like the way I sound, and you like hearing how good you are at this, how good you make me feel.”

Eudora’s cunt clenched around him hard. “Please,” she begged.

He kissed her shoulders, the back of her neck, biting at her earlobe. “Say my name again, Dora, and maybe…” His fingers, which had been gripping her hips, smoothed their way to her clit, tapping lightly at it.

“ _Diego, please_ _._ ” Eudora was shaking, feeling another orgasm building inside her. She arched her back, pushing back to meet his thrusts, turning her head to silence him with her lips.

Diego whimpered into her mouth, thrusting harder still, his fingers circling her clit.

He knew her body, had always been good at reading her cues, and it seemed as though their time apart only strengthened his knowledge. He read every sigh, moan, and whimper, adjusting his angle, his fingers against her, pushing her closer and closer to her edge.

Eudora came with a half-choked cry, her legs buckling under her as the waves of pleasure seized her. Diego cried out at the feel of her, thrusting harder before following her over the edge.

They were quiet, still. The only sounds coming for their own harsh breaths. Diego pressed his forehead into Eudora’s spine, groaning with the effort to pull out of her, putting off the moment by kissing her back slowly, causing her to shiver.

When he did pull out, she collapsed ungracefully onto the sheets, sweat cooling on her skin. She got up quickly, walking on unsteady legs to the bathroom to clean herself up, her fingers brushing Diego’s back as she passed.

He was already in her bed when she returned, curled in her sheets. She didn’t have the heart to ask him to leave, wasn’t sure that was even something she wanted. So, she climbed into bed with him, letting him drape his arms around her. He buried his face in her hair, kissing the back of her head sweetly.

The room was dark and quiet, warm and still. There was nothing beyond the walls but them, no world outside this bed. And it was comforting to Eudora, in this moment, just to be sated and warm in Diego’s arms, to hear his breathing steady out, to feel the rise and fall of his chest against her back.

A cold voice in the back of her hissed that tomorrow there would be consequences. That she had made a mistake somewhere along the line this evening.

But, it was too late to give that voice any mind. So Eudora closed her eyes and gloried in the feeling surrounding her, letting sleep claim her.

\---

Eudora was half in dreams, floating and warm, when wakefulness hit her all at once. She bolted up in bed, breathing fast, looking around.

Her room was empty, the bleak light of the sun glaring through her open window curtains. She glanced about the bed, saw the imprints another body had left, and the memories of last night came crashing down on her.

The dress. The restaurant. Suresh and Diego. The fight, the arrest. Diego.

Eudora shot out of bed, dressing quickly, feeling sick. The reality of what she had done was washing through her like a tidal wave. She had let Diego ruin her date with Suresh, had let him talk her into playing vigilante with him to capture Malone instead of following protocol and calling for backup. And she had brought him home with her and fucked him, even though she was in a relationship.

Of all of her mistakes in life, and she was humble enough to admit she’d had many, this one was one of the worst. Her first arrest as a detective and she had toed the line of the law to accomplish it, flouting protocol and showing off her new promotion. The captain would be well within his right to fire her.

And Suresh.

She rushed to her bathroom, turning the sink on and splashing her face with water, the cold shocking her out of her rushing thoughts.

Suresh. She’d have to break-up with him, she decided, patting her face dry. Not only had she cheated, quite blatantly, but the act had revealed what she had been unwilling to admit until now.

Suresh was nice, but she couldn’t form a relationship off of nice, couldn’t build a life that was just _nice_. Everything he’d been able to offer was _nice_ and _good_ , but that all sat uncomfortably on her shoulders, along with the praise he heaped her way. Nice and good were things for a woman who was concerned with seeming nice and good, and that wasn’t Eudora. Eudora was concerned with being _right_ , and that didn’t always align.

Suresh called her sweet, but she knew, deep in her gut, she was anything but. Kind, sure. Just, maybe. But she was also _angry_ and proud and vindictive, and the look he had given her last night when she left their table had spoken so clearly that he didn’t like these facets of her.

But Diego did. That thought brought her up short. Diego liked her best when she was proud, reveled in her anger. Last night it had made her feel powerful, but in the harsh light of day it stuck in her throat. Diego encouraged the worst parts of her, and she let him.

It was laughable. Suresh wanted an ideal version of her, Diego wanted the exact opposite. She was competing with an Angelic Eudora and a Devilish Eudora. And which did she want?

Neither.

She peered out into her living room. No sign of Diego, but her phone indicated she had voicemails waiting for her. Too keyed-up to ignore the blinking red light, dreading what she would hear, Eudora hit play

“Hi Eudora, it’s me,” Suresh sounded tired, and it sent a pang of guilt through her stomach. “Look, I know last night didn’t…didn’t go exactly as planned. But, I was hoping we could talk….today, if you’re not too...” he cleared his throat. “ _Busy_. I’ll be at the coffee shop on 34th and R street at noon if you can meet me. I’ll talk to you then, but if not...well...I guess…” he sighed. “Goodbye, Eudora.”

The coffee shop was exactly halfway between his apartment and hers, a diplomatic choice. She glanced at the lock above her stove. It would take her ten minutes to get there and she had a half an hour. Spectacular.

The next message was from her captain. “Detective Patch, I want to commend you on your exemplary service last night,” he said. “Even off-duty you assessed the situation accurately and act decisively, and because of that we have our main suspect and his accomplice in custody.”

He sighed. “Now, I’m saying this over the phone, Patch, because when you come in today--and I’ll need you here as soon as you can--it’s going to be a clusterfuck. I don’t want you to get the wrong impression, I am exceedingly proud of your work, but you _did_ use a fake badge and fire your gun off duty. Per regulations, you’ll have to sit for a psych exam, a weapons assessment meeting and write a statement.”

“This is going to be a bit of a red-taped nightmare, I won’t lie, but I don’t want that to distract you from the fact that _you did good_ _,_ ” the captain said. “I’ll see you when you get in, Detective Patch.”

She erased the messages. So, she wasn’t getting fired, that was good. But there was still a mountain of paperwork to deal with, Suresh, and Diego, who was still nowhere to be found.

She groaned and went to get ready to leave.

\---

On top of the spectacularly horrible morning she was having, Eudora couldn’t find her keys.

“You have to be kidding me,” Eudora muttered, searching high and low. She had fifteen minutes to meet Suresh and she wanted to get there early to have a chance to settle her nerves.

She was about to just leave her apartment and hope for the best when she heard footsteps, a jangle of keys, and the door opening. Diego walked through the door, carrying a bag that smelled strongly of donuts and two cups of coffee.

“I thought you might be still asleep,” Diego said, shutting the door behind him.

“It’s 11:45 am on a Saturday, why would I be asleep?” Eudora asked testily. “Are those my keys?”

“Yeah, couldn’t find your spare,” Diego said, looking at her balefully.

“Well, you had it last,” Eudora said. “Give them here.”

“Where are you going? I brought breakfast,” Diego said, waving the bag of donuts around.

“I need to go, I’m meeting Suresh.”

Diego’s face darkened. “Oh, I get it. Running back to the boyfriend now that you scratched an itch?”

“I think the best thing about you is how little you think of me,” Eudora snapped. “For your information, I’m going to break-up with him.”

That seemed to cheer Diego up instantly. “Great! Fuck the donuts, I’ll come with and watch, and after we can--”

“We can what?” Eudora asked. “Go to the movies and neck? Hold hands and have dinner?”

“Well, I don’t know about 'neck,' but we can definitely do something fun,” Diego said with a suggestive smile. “We can go out and celebrate.”

“Celebrate what?”

“Us getting back together.”

Eudora scoffed. “Diego, we’re not getting back together.”

That hit him like a slap in the face. He stared at her, slack jawed and hurt. “But...but you’re going to break-up with that guy--”

“Suresh,” Eudora said. She took a shaky breath. “And yes, but that doesn’t mean I want to be with you.” Her voice broke a little on the last word, but she hoped he wouldn’t notice.

“Give me one good reason why not,” Diego said, placing down the coffee and donuts and stalking towards her. “One good reason why we can’t be together.”

“Diego…”

“Dora, we _work_ ,” he said, cupping her face in his hands. “I know it’s hard, and I know it’s been rough in the past, but it can be different now. _We’re_ different now. We can make this work, I know we can.”

“No, Diego, we can’t,” Eudora whispered, her throat feeling suddenly tight. “All we do is bring out the worst in each other.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it,” he insisted, his eyes starting to shine wetly. “Look at what we accomplished last night, huh? With Malone? Dora, we’re a great team.”

“Diego,” she carefully grasped his hands and removed them from her face. “Last night we made an arrest, yes, but we flouted all the rules to do so. I _shot_ someone, I should be suspended from the force.”

“Is that what this is about?”

“No, it’s about the fact that after making questionable decisions in arresting a suspect last night I brought you home and cheated on Suresh!” Eudora said, feeling tears pin pricking her eyes. “This always happens. Whenever I’m with you I make the worst decisions, and I can’t do that, Diego, I can’t.”

“But you’re on your way now to break up with him!” Diego argued. “Dora...Eudora, please don’t do this, please don’t turn me away.” His face was open and earnest, his voice breaking. “Eudora, I love you, _I love you_. Please, just one more chance.”

Her chest felt like it was caving in on itself, every heart beat a painful shock to her system. She knew he meant it when he said it, saw now the truth in his face like a beacon. He loved her, and if she stayed with him,  they ran the chance of destroying each other. And Eudora couldn’t do that, not to him.

“I love you too, Diego,” she whispered, stepping away. “But it’s not enough. I’m sorry, it’s not enough.”

She didn’t give him a chance to respond, but turned and fled out the door before she could break down into tears, her heart a broken and bleeding mess in her chest. She would never forget the broken look on his face, a look she put there.

The image of Diego, forlorn and hopeless in the middle of her living room, reaching for her as she fled, would be one that would haunt her until the day she died.

\---

She was late getting to the coffeeshop, having to pause to let her tears subside. It was no matter, though, Suresh was still waiting for her, a cup of coffee steaming in front of her seat.

“Thanks,” she said, sitting down at the table and taking a sip. She tried to suppress a grimace--he always forgot she took her coffee with cream.

“You alright?” Suresh asked. “Sounded like quite a fight last night.”

“It was,” Eudora agreed, carefully. “We got our guy, though, so it worked out.”

“Looks like they got you pretty good though,” Suresh said, indicating the bruising on her throat.

Eudora flushed deeply and tried to surreptitiously adjust her collar, but it was too late. The evidence was clearly written across her face.

Suresh sighed. “Well, I guess that’s that. Did you really have to sleep with him?”

“Suresh, I am so sorry,” Eudora began, but he cut her off.

“There are better ways of telling me you’re still in love with your ex then running off with him in the middle of a date,” he said. His tone was condescending and it made her bristle.

“I didn’t _run off_ _,_ Suresh, there was official--”

“Official police business, yes, of course.” He drummed his fingers on the table, looking at her with a tight expression. “Eudora, you have to be careful.”

She snorted, rolling her eyes. “Suresh, I don’t need you to worry about me, I am a good shot, great at hand-to-hand, and I’ve been training since I was--”

“It’s not your job I’m talking about, Eudora,” Suresh cut off. “I know you’re highly capable, that’s not what I’m saying.”

“What _are_ you saying then?”

“Diego Hargreeves is going to get you killed if you’re not careful,” he said flatly.

“Diego would never hurt me,” she said, feeling a shiver roll down her spine.

“No, but he’s reckless enough to get you hurt,” Suresh argued. “Just, please, if not for me then for your family, your colleagues. Be careful with him.”

“I don’t need you to patronize me, Suresh,” she snapped. She sighed when she saw the hurt flash across his eyes. “Look, I know Diego is bad news, alright? I plan on keeping my distance, you don’t have to worry about me.”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to stop myself from worrying,” Suresh smiled, sadly. He reached across the table and grasped Eudora’s hand. “I’m going to miss you, Eudora.”

She smiled softly and squeezed his hand in return. “You too, Suresh. I’m sorry I couldn’t make this work.”

He nodded, not bothering to dismiss her total culpability. He stood, kissed her forehead, and left the shop without a backwards glance.

Around Eudora, life went on. A college student was typing away furiously at his laptop, two middle-aged women were gossiping in hushed tones. The coffee machines behind the counter _hissed_ and _squeaked_ as they pumped out espresso and frothy frappes.

Steeling herself, Eudora stood to go, her bitter coffee cooling behind her. From her bag she pulled out her official badge, gleaming gold on a silver chain that she looped around her neck. DETECTIVE EUDORA PATCH was engraved at the bottom, the letters shining in the bright sun as she stepped out onto the street.

Eudora looked to her left, then to her right, looking for signs of a lingering ex-boyfriend. Seeing none, she donned her sunglasses and started walking towards the station.

  
There was still work to be done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, once again, Diego and Eudora can't make it work. Again, I've always seen them as two people who do love each other but just can't find a way to be together. Therein lies the tragedy.
> 
> Only one more part after this!
> 
> Also, sidenote: smut scenes? Very difficult to write. How many times can you use the word "moan" without it sounding trivial? A living nightmare.

**Author's Note:**

> -Initially, I had called Suresh 'Robert,' but like four pages in I had to change it. Robert was a blank white stereotype who just looked like a Butch Hartman sketch in my head. I changed his name to Suresh and voila! He became more dimensional in my head, I could see his family, his behavior, everything. I think Diego would agreement with my assessment that NAMES MATTER.
> 
>  
> 
> -I actually work in civil rights reform, and as I work on this fic during my lunch break a lot, a little big of work bled in! Janessa's case is in part inspired by a handful of case reports I've read over the past few months and the case from the first episode of the latest season of the Serial Podcast. I obviously have a lot of opinions about bail and racial biasing in the system lol.
> 
>  
> 
> -I named Suresh's girlfriend Emmy after Emmy Raver-Lampman, the actress who plays Allison Hargreeves.
> 
>  
> 
> -The mob families are Way and Toro after Gerard Way and Ray Toro, the lead vocalist and lead guitarist respectively of My Chemical Romance. Gerard Way wrote The Umbrella Academy, but of course, you knew that!
> 
>  
> 
> -The dress Eudora is wearing is the INFAMOUS little black dress that style-icon Fran Drescher wears on a Valentine's Day episode of The Nanny. I highly recommend a google image search.


End file.
